À propos de l’œuvre
Gamin au Képi, par Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh · November -December 1888 · Arles
Kid with a kepi, Camille Roulin, F665Reproduction of oil painting on canvas
Eleven-year-old Camille Roulin appears in a blue blouse and a dark kepi, sitting sideways in front of an orange-red background; his oblique gaze and his half-open mouth give the portrait a rare immediacy.
Look at the work
A child who is difficult to immobilize
The boy is framed halfway. His left hand grabs the yellow pillar of the chair while the other almost disappears under the large blue blouse. The black kepi, bordered in yellow, tilts over blonde hair and projects a dark line above the face.
The background is divided into two red and orange bands which do not describe any location. The dark blue contours strongly separate the blouse, the arm and the chair. The MASP reports the hypothesis that the freer touch of this painting could be due to the impatience of the young model.
The model is generally identified with Camille, second son of the postman Joseph Roulin. Van Gogh had painted the different members of this friendly family during his stay in Arles.
Composition, touch and color
Three observations specific to this painting
The MASP notice retains the date of 1888 and the identification with Camille Roulin, while recalling the older debates on dating and the model.
A face without an official pose
The gaze goes to the side and the mouth remains slightly open. This unstable expression distances the portrait from the conventional school image.
Blue versus orange
The turquoise and dark blue blouse stands out against the two warm bands at the back; the yellow chair completes this system of contrasts.
A hand holding the pose
Fingers clenched on the chair post introduce body tension and give an anchor point to the large garment.
Documented benchmarks
Precisely identify the original work
The MASP.00112 inventory and the references F665/JH1879 make it possible to distinguish this portrait from the two other effigies of Camille Roulin kept in Amsterdam and Philadelphia.
Camille Roulin
Born in 1877, Camille is the second son of the postman Joseph Roulin. He was around eleven years old when Van Gogh painted it in Arles.
The Roulins as models
Van Gogh created portraits of Joseph, Augustine and their children, forming one of the most coherent human groups in his work.
Acquired for MASP
The painting entered the Sao Paulo Museum in 1952 thanks to a group of Brazilian donors mentioned in the collection notice.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
The reproduction must retain the mobile expression of the face, the clear construction of the background and the variations in blue of the blouse without freezing the model.
- The black kepi bordered in yellow
- The gaze directed out of the frame
- Mouth slightly ajar
- The big turquoise blue blouse
- Hand placed on the yellow pillar of the chair
Work sheet
| Title | Kid with a kepi, Camille Roulin, F665 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Vincent van Gogh (1853 -1890) |
| Date | November - December 1888 |
| Place of creation | Arles |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 63.5 × 54 cm |
| Inventory | MASP.00112· F665· JH1879 |
| Conservation | Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
From order to shipping
In your interior
A direct and intensely colorful child portrait
The vertical format is suitable for a contemporary bedroom, library or living room. Blue, brick red, orange and yellow match walnut, black metal and light walls.
Frequently asked questions
Before ordering
Is this a canvas print?
No. Each reproduction is manually painted in oil on canvas. Brushstrokes and material variations belong to the final result.
How is the visual reference chosen?
The public image from Google Arts & Culture measures 3,521 × 4,157 px; it was reduced to 2,541 × 3,000 px then converted into a real WebP.
Can I check the result before shipping?
Yes. Photographs of the finished painting are sent to you; you can request alterations before validating the shipment.
Are custom formats possible?
Yes. The format can be adapted to your wall while maintaining the proportions and balance of the original composition.
